Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk

The next major tunnelling contract on the 17km long Shatin-Central Metro line in Hong Kong is awarded to the Chun Wo/Seli joint venture. The HK$1.07 billion (€100 million) contract is for excavation of the running tunnels between Diamond Hill and Kai Tak (Fig 1). Seli will supply the TBM and complete the excavation works for the 50/50 joint venture.

The contract award is among the first of 16 major tunnel, station, track, ventilation and rolling stock contracts to be rolled out in the next two years by MTR Corporation, the owner of the Hong Kong Metro system (Fig 1, Table 1).

Fig 1. The Hong Kong Shatin-Central link runs almost entirely underground and features ten new stations

The centerpiece will be Contract SCL 1121 for a new 1.3km immersed tube metro crossing of Victoria Harbour. Shortlisted prequalifiers for the contract are expected to be announced imminently and ahead of a planned contract award in the first quarter of next year (2014).

The link features a new immersed crossing of Victoria Harbour
The next major tunnelling award, for the SCL 1108 Kai Tak Station and associated tunnels contract, is expected in the second quarter of this year. In all the new Shatin-Central Link will have ten stations, six of them allowing connectivity with other lines. Construction of all but HinKeng Station will be by cut and cover, with drill+blast specified for the tunnel between HinKeng and Ma Chai and for the overrun tunnel south of Admiralty Station.

TBM excavation is specified for the twin running tunnels between Ma Chai and Kai Tak via Diamond Station; between To Kwa Wan and Ho Man Tin Station via Ma Tau Wai; between Causeway Bay Police Officers' Club and Exhibition Station; and between Convention Avenue and Admiralty Station.

The HK$64.9 billion (€6.4 billion) line is to be constructed in two sections; the 11km Tai Wai-Hung Hom section in Phase 1, to be completed in 2018, and the 6km Hung Hom-Admiralty section that features the harbour crossing and due to be completed in 2020. Enabling works began in June last year (2012).

"The new rail link plays a vital part in connecting more districts of Hong Kong with our integrated rail network, which will further improve Hong Kong's public transport system," said Jay Walder, CEO of MTR Corporation.

Award of Contract SCL 1107 to the Chun Wo/Seli JV followed a complex prequalification process. A spokesman for Seli said: "This positive result is significant not only for the size of the project but also for the future and continuity of Seli operations in China."

In November last year (2012) Seli announced it had taken on a new Chinese partner, Tollian, in a deal which saw Tollian acquire a 29.84% share in the business in exchange for a capital injection of €30 million. The deal was aimed at increasing TBM construction for the Chinese and wider Asian market.

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